


















































































































































































































































































































































Copyright N°.K S ■ 2- 

Sap 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 















THE MEETING OF SIEGFRIED AND MIMI 



























































Stories of the 

Niteluncfen 

for 

Young People 


Arranged by 

Gertrude R. Schottenfels 

Chicago Public School* 


SIHttftrateb 


Chicago 

A. Flanagan Company 



















6S'- 3^336 




\ 























STORIES OF THE NIBELUNGEN 


e W 

I. Young Siegfried.• • • 7 

II. Mimi’s Story. 21 

III. Siegfried’s Sword. 34 

IV. The Death of the Dragon ... 43 

V. The Story of Brunhilda. S3 

VI. Gunther and Kriemhild. 6i 

VII. Siegfried’s Return to Ireland . 72 
VIII. How Gunther Won His Bride . 81 
IX. Kriemhild and Brunhilda’s 


Quarrel. 9 1 

X. Kriemhild’s Revenge. 112 



































PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY 


Nibelungen 

ne' bg-lung-Sn 

Santum 

san' turn 

SlEGMUND 

seg' mund 

Niederland 

ne'der-iand 

SlEGELINDA 

se-gSl-ln'd& 

Siegfried 

seg' frid 

Mimi 

me'me 

Fafner 

f af' ner 

Alberich 

&1' ber-Ick 

Wot an 

wo' tSn 

Loki 

lo'ke 

Brunhilda 

brun-bll'da 

ISENHEIM 

e' sen-hime 

Gunther 

gfln' ter 

Hagen 

ha'gen 

XJOTA 

u-o'ta 

Kriemhild 

krem'hlld 

Giselherr 

ge' sel-hare 

Gernot 

ger'no 

Etzel 

et'zgl 

Ortlieb 

ort' leb 

Rudiger 

ru'dlg-er 

Bechlarn 

back' larn 

Dietrich 

det'rlck 

Etzelburg 

8t'zel-berg 

Dankwart 

dank'wert 

Walkyrie 

w51-klr'l 


























Stories of the Nibelungen 

i 

YOUNG SIEGFRIED 
In the good old days of Long 
Ago, when kings had absolute 
power over all their subjects, even 
in the matter of life and death, 
there dwelt in the city of Santum, 
on the beautiful Rhine River, 
a great and good king named 
Siegmund. 

He was very powerful, and ruled 
over the kingdom of Niederland 
so wisely and so well that he was 





















8 Stories of the Nibelungen 


loved and honored by all his 
people. He shared his throne 
with Siegelinda, his beautiful wife, 
who also was noble and kind of 
heart. 

Siegmund and Siegelinda had 
one son, called Siegfried—a hand¬ 
some, well-built lad, with eyes as 
blue and sunny as the sky above 
on a fair spring morning. He was 
the only child of the king and 
queen, but he was more of a sor¬ 
row than a joy to them, for he was 
as willful and disobedient as he was 
beautiful. He could not bear to 



























Young Siegfried g 


be crossed in any way, and wished 
that he were a man, so that he 
might do exactly as he pleased. 

Siegfried’s parents loved hun 
dearly in spite of his faults and all 
the sorrow his wild ways caused 
them. But one fine morning, while 
the king and queen were still asleep, 
he quietly took his hat, and stole out 
of the castle, for he had made up 
his mind to go out into the wide 
world to seek his fortune. 


Siegfried walked through the 
beautiful city, and then for some 
time followed a winding country 























I o Stories of the Nibelungen 


road, until at length he found him¬ 
self in the midst of a dense forest. 
But he was not afraid; he could 
hear the birds singing and calling 
to one another in the green trees 
overhead, and now and then a 
rabbit or a timid squirrel ran across 
his pathway, and disappeared in 
the bushes. 

So he wandered along, quite 
happy. Sometimes he would come 
to a little brook, winding its 
way through the trees and grass, 
and babbling and singing among 
its pebbles. Across the stream 






















he would leap, as lightly as a 
hare. 

Thus the day wore on, and as 
twilight gathered, he began to feel 
very tired and hungry. He was 
just beginning to wonder what he 
should do, when he noticed that he 
was nearing the edge of the forest, 
and a little farther on what should 
he see but a blacksmith’s shop 
among the bushes. 

In the doorway stood the smith 
himself in his leathern apron—a 



little, odd, misshapen dwarf named 
Mimi. He looked in wonder at 





















12 Stories of the Nihelungen 


the beautiful boy, who smiled upon 
him in a friendly way, and said: 

“Good-evening. I am almost 
dead with thirst and hunger; will 
you not take me in, and let me be 
your helper?” 

Mimi was about to say no, when 
he chanced to look at Siegfried 
the second time. He noticed how 
strong and well built the boy was; 
so he said: 

“I am not really in need of a 
helper, for in this out-of-the-way 
place there is very little work to be 
done; but if you wish to learn my 
























Young Siegfried 13 


trade, I am willing to give you a 
trial.” 

Siegfried was happy to hear this, 
and with a hearty relish he ate 
the coarse brown bread and bowl 
of milk which Mimi brought to 
him. 

The next morning the black¬ 
smith showed Siegfried how to 
blow the bellows, and swing the 
sledge-hammer, and also how to 
shape a horseshoe. 


“Now, you try it,” he said, lay¬ 
ing a red-hot piece of iron on the 
anvil.. 


























14 Stories of the Nibelungen 


Siegfried was eager to try. He 
raised the hammer above his head, 
and brought it down with such 
force that the iron flew to pieces 
and the anvil was buried in the 
ground. 

Mimi was very angry. He gave 
the boy a box on the ear that 
nearly knocked him over. Now, 
Siegfried was a king’s son, and 
never before in all his life had 
any one but his parents dared to 
punish him. Therefore he was 
indignant, and without giving 
Mimi a moment’s warning, he 
























Young Siegfried i5 


seized the dwarf by the collar and 
dashed him to the ground. 

When Mimi came to his senses, 
he was almost dead with pain and 
fright. He made up his mind 
then and there that he would have 
his revenge, but he knew he was 
no match for Siegfried in strength; 
so he picked himself up, and pre¬ 
tended that he was not in the least 
angry. After a while he sent 
Siegfried to fetch a basket of coal 
from the colliery, which was near 
a great linden tree in the forest. 
Under this tree dwelt a terrible 


























monster, and Mimi hoped that the 
huge beast would make an end of 
the lad. 

As Siegfried reached the tree, 
out rushed the monster, with open 
jaws, ready to devour him. But 
the boy nimbly sprang aside, and 
uprooting a tree which stood near, 
he brought it down with such 
force on the monster s back that 
the huge creature was dazed by 
the blow, and lay writhing in 
pain. 


Then quick as thought, Siegfried 
pulled up tree after tree, and piled 
























Young Siegfried 1 7 


them high above the struggling 
monster, pinning him fast to the 
earth. Thus he slowly crushed 
the terrible beast to death. 

As he stood there watching, a 
pool of blood oozed slowly out 
from under the pile of trees. He 
dipped his finger in it without 
thinking, and was surprised and 
delighted to find that his finger 
had become as hard as horn, and 
that he could neither scratch nor 
pierce it. 

“What a fine thing!” thought the 


























18 Stories of the Nibelungen 


pool, and then nothing on earth 
can harm me.” 

Accordingly, he quickly un¬ 
dressed and bathed himself in the 
pool; but as he was stooping over, 
a broad leaf from the linden tree 
fell upon his back, between the 
shoulders, and the spot where 
it lay was not touched by the 
monster’s blood. Siegfried knew 
nothing of the leaf. “Now,” said 
he to himself, “I am safe; neither 
sword nor spear can wound me.” 
Then he cut off the monster’s 
head, filled Mimi’s basket with 






























Young Siegfried ig 


coal, and carried both back to 
the smithy. 

Mimi could hardly believe his 
eyes when Siegfried appeared; he 
began to fear the wonderful 
strength of this half-grown boy, 
and to hate him with a deadly 
hatred. However, he was far too 
wise to let Siegfried know his feel¬ 
ings, and so he praised the lad's 
courage highly. But he at once 
began to think of another plan to 
get rid of him. 


That night,while they were sitting 
together before the fire, Mimi said: 























20 Stories of the Nibelungen 


“I know of an adventure which 
would just suit you, Siegfried. If 
you succeed in it, it will make you 
famous all over the world, and you 
will be very rich." 

The boy was eager to be off at 
once, but the dwarf declared that 
Siegfried must first listen to a long, 
strange story. Mimi bade him 
give good heed to what he was 
about to hear. 

























II 

MIMI’S STORY 

My father was a dwarf, and 
belonged to a race of dwarfs called 
the Nibelungs. He had three 
sons, Fafner, Otto, and myself. 
Fafner was the eldest; I was 
the youngest. Otto, my second 
brother, was very fond of fishing, 
and liked nothing better than to 
spend whole days at the sport. 


My father had a magic cap 
called a tarnhelm. Any one who 
put this cap on could make him- 
























22 Stories of the Nibelungen 


self invisible, or assume any form 
he desired. Otto would borrow 
this tarnhelm, and assuming the 
form of an otter, he would go to a 
waterfall near our home to fish. 
He would go right into the water, 
and catching the fish in his mouth, 
would lay them down on the bank, 
one after another, until he had 
enough. Then he would become 
himself once more and would carry 
the fish home for supper. 


Near this waterfall there lived 
another dwarf, named Alberich, 
who also belonged to the race of 
























Mimi’s Story 23 


the Nibelungs. He possessed a 
great treasure of gold, which he 
had captured from the nymphs of 
the Rhine. The father of the 
nymphs, the God of the Rhine, 
had entrusted the treasure to 
their care. 

Alberich gained possession of 
the Rhine gold, but in doing so 
he lost everything which helps to 
make life beautiful. Like my 
brother, he was very fond of fish¬ 
ing, and taking the form of a huge 
pike, he would go with Otto to the 
waterfall, and fish all day. 




















24 Stories of the Nibelungen 


One day Wotan, the King of the 
Gods, was wandering through the 
forest with Loki, the God of Fire. 
They were both very tired and 
hungry, and as they came near the 
waterfall, what should they spy but 
an otter in the water, with a large 
salmon in its mouth. Here was a 
chance not to be missed. 

Seizing a big stone, Loki hurled 
it with all his might at the otter, 
killing it instantly. Then they 
carried it to my father’s house, and 
tagged for a night’s lodging. 

As soon as my father saw the 

























Mimi’s Story 25 


otter, he told them that they had 
killed his son. Both Wotan and 
Loki were very sorry to hear this, 
and regretted that they could not 
restore my brother to life. To 
make up to my father for what 
they had done, they agreed to fill 
the otter skin with gold, and also 
to cover the outside of it with the 
same precious metal. Then Wo¬ 
tan sent Loki out in search of 
gold. 

Now Loki knew that the dwarf 
Alberich possessed the Rhine gold; 
so he hastened to the waterfall, 























26 Stories of the Nibelungen 


and demanded the entire treas¬ 
ure. 

At first Alberich refused to part 
with the gold; but Loki threat¬ 
ened to kill him unless he gave it 
up. So Alberich unwillingly gave 
the treasure to Loki—all except a 
ring of gold, which he kept hidden 
in his hand. But the god’s eyes 
were sharp, and he saw what Al¬ 
berich had done. 

Now this ring was a magic ring, 
and whoever owned it might claim 
all the gold in all the rivers and 
mountains upon earth. Alberich 


























Mimi's Story 2J 


believed that if he kept it he could 
some day get back his treasure 
through its magic power. 

Loki commanded him to give it 
up, and the dwarf refused to do so. 
Seeing that words were useless, 
the god snatched it from Alberich’s 
hand, and started off. Alberich 
fell into a terrible fury, and cried: 

“A curse upon the gold! Death 
to all its possessors!” 

But Loki had obtained that 
which he set out to get. The 
gold was not to be his, and he 
cared nothing for the dwarf and 

























28 Stories of the Nibelungen 


his curses. He only laughed at 
Alberich, and hastened with his 
burden to my father’s house. 

When Wotan saw the gold ring, 
he was so pleased with its beauty 
that he placed it on his finger, in¬ 
tending to keep it for himself. 
Then they filled the otter’s skin 
with gold, and also covered it 
over, according to their promise. 
When they had finished, my father 
discovered one spot on its head 
upon which there was no gold. 
He insisted upon having this cov¬ 
ered up, and since there was no 

























more gold to be had, Wotan un¬ 
willingly took the ring from his 
finger, and placed it there. 

Loki was displeased, and cried: 

“Now, you ingrate, you have the 
most enormous gold treasure in 
the world, and I hope you are 
satisfied! But remember what I 
say: The gold will prove your 

ruin, and it will also cause your 
son to fill an early grave.” 

Then the gods took their de¬ 


parture. 

Fafner and I asked our father to 
give us each a share of the gold; 


























3 o Stories of the Nibelungen 


but he only laughed in a disagree¬ 
able way, and declared his dead 
son was far more precious to him 
than were his living sons. He 
said that every hair on Otto’s 
head was dear to him. Then 
he ran after us with a stone club, 
and swore that he would kill us 
if we said another word. We said 
no more, and crept away in fear. 

But that night as my father lay 
asleep, Fafner stole into his room 
and slew him. Then I came for¬ 
ward, and told my brother that I 
had witnessed his evil deed, and 




































































































































32 Stories of the Nibelungen 


demanded that he give me half of 
the gold. But he turned upon me 
in a blind rage, and cried: 

“Flee for your life ere I smite 
you dead!” 

I fled in fear, without another 
word. Then Fafner put on my 
father’s tarnhelm and escaped with 
his treasure to the heath, where he 
hid it in a cave among the rocks. 
But, fearful lest it be taken from 
him, he assumed the form of a 
frightful dragon, that he might 
protect it better. 


And there he lies day and night, 


























Mimi’s Story 33 


guarding the entrance of the cave, 
and leaves it only when he goes 
to drink at a neighboring spring. 
No one has dared attack him, for 
no one has the strength to match 
him. 























When Mimi had finished his 
story, he looked at Siegfried, who 
had been drinking in every word 
with breathless interest, and asked: 

“Well, my lad, what do you think 
of that ? Do you think you could 
kill the dragon ?” 

Siegfried answered, with shining 
eyes: 

“Come, Mimi, forge me a mighty 
sword, and lead the way to Faf- 
























Siegfried’s Sword 


35 


ners cave, and I will show you 
what I can do.” 

So Mimi set to work to fashion a 
sword for Siegfried. It was to be 
the strongest, sharpest one that 
man had ever made. The dwarf 
worked day and night until it was 
finished. 

When he gave it to Siegfried, 
the boy examined it carefully, 
shook his head as though in doubt, 
and then strode to the anvil. He 
struck the iron one powerful blow 
with the sword, and the weapon 
lay in pieces. 


















36 Stories of the Nibelungen 


Mimi told him not to worry, and 
at once set to work upon some of 
his most finely tempered steel, re¬ 
solved to make a sword that would 
be a match for Siegfried’s un¬ 
heard-of strength. 

But when it was finished, Sieg¬ 
fried took it as he had taken the 
first, and in a moment the blade 
was shattered on the anvil. Then 
he grew angry and rushed at the 
dwarf, crying: 

“Oh! you worthless fellow, get 
you hence or I will kill you!” 


Mimi was badly frightened, and 
























Siegfried's Sword 


37 


hid himself behind the fireplace 
not knowing what might happen 
next. But after a while Sieg¬ 
fried’s anger began to cool; then 
Mimi emerged from his hiding- 
place, and Siegfried saw that he 
held something in each hand. 
When the dwarf came close 
enough, the lad saw that he car¬ 
ried two halves of a splendid 
sword. 

This Mimi declared was none 
other than the sword Wotan had 
carried on the day upon which 
Otto was killed. “And,” he con- 























38 Stories of the Nibelungen 


tinued, “if I can but weld it to¬ 
gether, you will have the finest 
sword that ever a hero wielded.” 
Siegfried could scarcely wait until 
Mimi finished the work, so anxious 
was he to try the weapon. 

At length it was ready, and he 
seized it, crying: “Now for the 
test! Now for the test!” Then 
he raised the mighty blade high 
above his head, and brought it 
down with all his strength upon 
the anvil. The whole house shook 
and trembled, and the anvil was 
split in two, but the weapon—the 






















THE MIGHTY SWORD WAS UNHURT 



















































































4 o Stories of the Nibelungen 


mighty sword that Wotan himself 
had flourished—was unhurt. 

And now Mimi was thoroughly 
frightened, for he thought that 
Siegfried must be Thor himself. 
But he hid his fear, and cried: 

“Avenge me, Siegfried! Slay 
this dragon, and one-half of the 
Rhine gold shall be yours.” 

“Lead the way,” the lad replied, 
“and I will make short work of 
him.” 


So Mimi started for the heath, 
and Siegfried followed him joy¬ 
fully. 


























Siegfried’s Sword 4 1 


When they drew near the place, 
Mimi pointed out a wide, black¬ 
ened trail leading through the 
grass. This, he said, had been 
made by Fafner, for it was the 
path the dragon took each day 
when he went to the spring to 
drink. The dwarf told the boy 
that Fafner spouted flames to 
the right and left as he went 
along, and threshed the grass with 
his monstrous tail at every step. 


Then he advised Siegfried to 
dig a deep pit, hide himself in it, 
and as the dragon crawled over it, 























4% Stories of the Nibelungen 


to pierce him to the heart from 
underneath. Siegfried thought 
the plan a good one, and pro¬ 
ceeded at once to dig. 

He did not hear Mimi chuckling 
to himself, behind his back. For 
Mimi was bent upon destroying 
him, and knew that as soon as he 
had killed the monster, its blood 
would fill the pit, and drown him. 
Therefore the dwarf rejoiced. He 
withdrew to a safe distance, and 
hid himself, to await the coming 
of the dragon, which he greatly 
feared. 




























IV 

THE DEATH OF THE 
DRAGON 

As Siegfried was digging, he 
became aware of a tall one-eyed 
stranger, clad in a long gray cloak, 
who was standing near by, watch¬ 
ing him intently. The stranger 
inquired what Siegfried was doing, 
and upon being told, earnestly ad¬ 
vised the youth to dig several 
pits, each opening out of the other, 
so that he might escape the flow 
of blood which would otherwise 
drown him. 


























44 Stories of the Nibelungen 


Siegfried was very grateful for 
the advice, and began to act upon 
it at once. Then Wotan (for the 
one-eyed stranger was none other 
than the god) disappeared from 
view. When he was through dig¬ 
ging, Siegfried heaped brush and 
weeds above the first pit, so that it 
might not be noticed, and getting 
down into it, awaited the coming 
of the dragon. 

He had not long to wait. Of a 
sudden, a great noise, like the 
tramping of a thousand horses, 
fell upon his ear. Then came a 






























The Death of the Dragon 4$ 


roaring as of the sea, and he saw 
the huge monster come slowly 
along, thrashing the earth with its 
great tail, and spouting flames to 
the left and the right. 

On and on it came, until he 
could feel its breath hot above his 
face. He firmly grasped his 
sword, and gave one swift upward 
thrust, quickly withdrawing it, and 
then he nimbly leaped into the 
next pit, followed by a rush of 
blood, and then through the next, 
and so on, till he reached safe 
ground. 
























When he went back to the first 
pit, he found the dragon writhing 
and groaning in its death agony. 
As soon as it saw him, it cried out, 
for it still retained the power of 
human speech: 

“Oh! you unlucky one, the gold 
will prove your ruin as it has mine. 
A curse is on it. Who has it is 
accursed!” 

Saying this, the creature died. 

Then Siegfried carefully cleaned 
his sword, and replaced it in its 
sheath, and as he did so, he noticed 
some blood upon his hand. He 
























“THE GOLD WILL PROVE YOUR RUIN!” 








































48 Stories of the Nibelungen 


licked it off, and no sooner had it 
touched his tongue, than a strange 
thing happened. He could under¬ 
stand everything which the birds 
overhead were saying. He stood 
still and listened, and what was his 
astonishment to find that they 
were actually talking to him ! 

One told him that Mimi was un¬ 
true to him, and was constantly 
plotting his death; that even at 
that very moment the dwarf was 
approaching with a poisoned drink 
which he would offer to Siegfried, 
so that he might not have to keep 



























Death of ttye Dragon 49 


his promise of sharing the Rhine 
gold. The bird advised him to 
kill the dwarf. 

Sure enough, at that very mo¬ 
ment Mimi came forward, praising 
Siegfried’s bravery, and offering 
him the poisoned drink in the most 
friendly manner, smiling deceit¬ 
fully all the while. Our hero 
turned upon him in anger, and 
forced him to drain the cup him¬ 
self, whereupon the wretched 
dwarf fell to earth, lifeless. 


Then the birds told Siegfried to 
enter the dragon’s cave, and get 























eriamb. 



5 o Stories of the Nibelungen 


the ring and the tarnhelm, the 
possession of which would make 
him all-powerful. This he did, 
and then he rolled the dragon’s 
enormous body to the entrance of 
the cave, where the Rhine gold 
still lay, and sealed up the entrance 
with it. 

As he stood there, wondering 
what he should do next, he heard 
the birds singing of a mountain 
far away, where a maiden named 
Brunhilda lay in an enchanted 
sleep, surrounded by a ring of 
magic flames. Here she must 




















The Death of the Dragon 51 


slumber till there should appear a 
man strong and brave enough to 
dash through the flames and 
waken her with a kiss. 

Siegfried determined to journey 
to the mountain. So he returned 
to the smithy, and saddled Mimi’s 
horse, which was a strong, faithful 
creature, and then he rode away 
to seek the sleeping maiden. 

Many days and nights he wan¬ 
dered, and at length, early one 
morning as he ascended the high¬ 
lands, he saw a rosy glow in the 
distance, which grew ever brighter 






















52 Stories of the Nibelungen 


and brighter. “The rising sun," he 
said to himself, but he knew that 
it was not the rising sun. On and 
on he rode, and ever brighter and 
brighter grew the sky, until at 
length he came upon the flames 
themselves, and he knew that he 
had reached his journey’s end 

























V 

THE STORY OF BRUNHILDA 

As Siegfried drew nearer, he 
could hear the crackling of the 
flames, and when his horse saw 
the fire, the animal reared up on 
its hind legs, and snorted in terror. 
But Siegfried knew no fear. Put¬ 
ting spurs to his horse, he boldly 
forced it through the flames, and, 
lo! both horse and rider passed 
through unharmed. 


Before Siegfried’s eyes was a 
wondrous sight. On the mountain 



















54 Stories of the Nibelungen 


stood a castle, the strangest ever 
seen, for it was built entirely of 
green marble, as were all the 
buildings round it; and there, on the 
grassy slope before the castle, lay 
a young warrior, clad in shining 
armor, with a helmet on his head. 

Siegfried went up to him, to 
ask him where he might find 
the maiden. But the warrior 
was sunk in slumber, and made 
no reply when Siegfried spoke. 
Siegfried shook him roughly, to 
waken him, but he still slept 
on. Then Siegfried opened 




























PUTTING SPURS TO HIS HORSE, HE BOLDLY FORCED IT 
THROUGH THE FLAMES 














56 Stories of the Nibelungen 


the young man’s visor and re¬ 
moved his helmet. What was his 
surprise to find, within, the long 
fair hair and rosy face of a beauti¬ 
ful woman! 

This, then, was Brunhilda; it 
could be no other. Bending over 
her, he pressed a kiss lightly on 
her lips. Immediately Brunhilda 
awoke, and thanked the young 
hero for breaking the magic spell 
which bound her. Then, as they 
sat together in the marble palace, 
Brunhilda told her story. 


She was one of Wotan’s eight 


























daughters who were called Wal- 
kyries. They were beautiful god¬ 
desses of immense size and 
strength, and used to follow Wo- 
tan when he went into battle. 
Occasionally, when two knights or 
two countries battled against each 
other, they would award the palm 
of victory to one or the other. It 
was also their duty to carry all 
slain heroes to Walhalla, the beau¬ 
tiful palace of Wotan. 

One day Brunhilda disobeyed 
her father’s orders, and awarded 


the victory to the hero whom Wo- 



v i" 




















tan wished overthrown. Wotan 
was very angry, and as a punish¬ 
ment he forbade her to dwell 
among the gods and goddesses, 
and declared that never again 
should she set foot in Walhalla. 
Furthermore, he would cause her 
to wed a mortal man, thus becom¬ 
ing a mortal woman, instead of a 
goddess. 

Brunhilda was overcome with 
grief, as were all of her sisters. 
They all pleaded with Wotan not 
to punish her in this way. But he 
had already pronounced sentence 




























The Story of ^Brunhilda 5g 


upon her, and could not retract 
his word. Then Brunhilda wept 
piteously, and begged him at least 
to grant that her husband might 
be a hero. This he promised, and 
then disclosed his plan. 

He would sink her in a magic 
sleep, and would order Loki, the 
fire-god, to kindle some magic 
flames, which were to encircle her. 
She was to slumber until awakened 
by a man brave enough to go 
through fire for her sake. “And,” 
continued Wotan, “of course only 
























Then he assured her that when 
the hero came he should be un¬ 
harmed by the ring of fire. 

And so, with streaming eyes, 
Brunhilda bade her sisters a long 
farewell. Never again, so long as 
she lived, would she behold them. 
Wotan was deeply touched when 
he saw her grief, and with a last 
tender kiss upon her beautiful 
brow, he laid her on the grassy 
slope, and pronounced the magic 
words which bound her. 

























VI 

GUNTHER AND KRIEMHILD 

Siegfried remained for a long 
time with Brunhilda at Isenheim 
(which was the ancient name for 
Ireland), where all the buildings 
were of green marble. He then 
started for home, promising her 
that he would return and marry 
her, as soon as he had visited his 
parents, whom he now felt he had 
treated very cruelly. 


Brunhilda replied that she too 
thought that he ought to visit his 
























62 Stories of the Nibelungen 


mother and father, but that he 
must promise to return as soon as 
he had done so. He readily prom¬ 
ised, and sealed his pledge by plac¬ 
ing his magic ring upon her finger. 
Then he set out for Niederland. 

On the way thither, he had to 
pass through the city of Worms in 
Burgundy. Now in this city dwelt 
a powerful king called Gunther, 
who ruled over all Burgundy. He 
had an uncle named Hagen, who 
was his dead father’s brother, and 
who was also Gunther’s most 
valued adviser on all occasions. 
























Gunther was so great and mighty 
that four and twenty kings paid 
him tribute. 

He had a sister, named Kriem- 
hild, who was noted far and wide 
for her wondrous beauty. Once 
Kriemhild had had a strange 
dream: She thought that she was 
out hunting with her pet falcon, 
and that two fierce eagles swooped 
down from the sky, and killed the 
bird before her eyes. 


Now in these olden times people 
were very superstitious, and be¬ 
lieved that every dream had a 
























64 Stories of the Nibelungen 


meaning. Kriemhild related her 
dream to her mother, Uota, and 
asked what it meant. Uota re¬ 
plied: 

“The falcon signifies a noble 
man who will win you for his 
bride; but the two eagles stand for 
two powerful enemies, who will 
cause his death.” 

Then Kriemhild was very sad, 
and declared that she did not wish 
to marry any one, as it would 
bring her only sorrow. 


Not long after this Siegfried 
arrived at Worms, and although 




























Gunther and Kriemhild 65 


he knew no one in all the city, 
everybody was anxious to learn 
who he was, he was so handsome 
and noble looking. Hagen ad¬ 
vised Gunther to make friends 
with him, for he thought it very 
likely that the stranger might 
prove to be Siegfried, whose fame 
was spreading fast. 

Hagen related how Siegfried 
had killed the linden-monster, 
slain the dragon, won the Rhine 
gold, and gained possession of the 
magic cap and ring. When Uota 
heard all this, she determined that 





















66 Stories of the Nibelungen 


Siegfried should marry her beauti¬ 
ful daughter. When he entered 
the castle at Worms, Gunther re¬ 
ceived him cordially, and made 
haste to offer him both food and 
drink. Siegfried accepted both 
gratefully, for he was hungry and 
thirsty. Uota hastily prepared a 
magic potion, and no sooner had 
the hero drunk it than all memory 
of the past, Brunhilda included, 
faded from his mind. 

Siegfried remained at Worms for 
one whole year, and in all that 
time he never once got a glimpse 
























UOTA GIVES SIEGFRIED THE MAGIC POTION 





























































































































of ’Kriemhild, although the fame 
of her beauty reached him from 
every side. She, however, had 
seen him from her window while 
he was tilting with her brother’s 
knights, and she thought that 
never before had she seen any one 
so brave and handsome. 

Not long after this, the Danes 
and the Saxons declared war 
against Gunther. He quickly 
gathered together his army, and 
set out to battle with them. His 
two younger brothers, Giselherr 
and Gemot, went with him, and 
























Gunther and Kriemhild 6g 


Siegfried accompanied him as his 
body-guard. 

And now began anxious days 
and nights for Kriemhild. She 
was filled with dread lest her 
brothers or Siegfried be slain. 
She eagerly awaited tidings of 
every battle. She heard that the 
Saxons and Danes were being 
hard pressed, and also that the 
most brave and reckless warrior 
among all the Burgundian hosts 
was her brother's guest and body¬ 
guard. 


Not long after this, the Burgun- 
























70 Stories of the Nibelungen 


dians were victorious, and cap¬ 
tured both the Danish and the 
Saxon king. This ended the war, 
and Gunther and all his troops 
returned to Worms, where the 
king held a great feast to cele¬ 
brate his victory. And here for 
the first time Siegfried saw Kriem- 
hild, and he thought her the most 
beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

He was almost afraid to speak 
to her, so wondrous was her 
beauty, but she thanked him very 
prettily and gratefully for all that 
he had done for her brother; and 


























Gunther and Kriemhild 7 1 


when he replied that everything 
he had done had been done for 
her sake, she smiled and was con¬ 
tent. Siegfried had fallen deeply 
in love with her, and made up his 
mind to spare no effort to win her 
for his bride. 





















VII 

SIEGFRIED RETURNS TO 
IRELAND 


Meanwhile, in Ireland, Brun- 
hilda was eagerly awaiting Sieg¬ 
fried’s return. Days grew into 
weeks, weeks lengthened into 
months, and still he did not come. 
At first she could not believe that 
he had deserted her. She would 
look at the beautiful ring which he 
had given her, and all her faith 
and trust in him would return. 


But when months slowly length- 



























Siegfried Returns to Ireland J 3 


ened into years, and the years 
passed one after another, she be¬ 
gan to give up the hope of ever 
seeing him again. 

Now, as I have said before, 
Brunhilda was very beautiful, and 
soon suitors began flocking around 
her, anxious to win her hand in 
marriage. But Brunhilda loved 
Siegfried very dearly and had no 
desire to marry any one else. 
Therefore she declared that who¬ 
ever sought to marry her must 
match his strength with hers; if he 
were victorious, she would wed 


























7 4 Stories of the Nibelungen 


him, but if he failed, he should 
lose his head in forfeit, according 
to the custom of these olden days. 

Many gallant suitors came, 
entered the contest, failed and 
lost their heads, for Brunhilda was 
a Walkyrie, and more than a 
match in strength for any man. 
She did not like to kill her lovers, 
but they persisted in coming, and 
she continued to do her best at 
every trial. 

Meanwhile the fame of her 
strength and beauty traveled afar, 
and reached Gunther at Worms. 



























Siegfried Returns to Ireland 7 5 


He determined to journey to Isen- 
heim, and enter the lists against 
her. Accordingly he went to Sieg¬ 
fried, and asked aid of him. Sieg¬ 
fried replied: 

“I will gladly help you, if you, on 
your part, will help me win the 
hand of your beautiful sister.” 

Gunther was very grateful for 
the aid Siegfried had given him in 
the late Saxon war. So he prom¬ 
ised that on the day Brunhilda ar¬ 
rived in Worms he would give him 
Kriemhild for his bride. Siegfried 
was satisfied, and agreed to travel 
























7 6 Stories of the Nibelungen 


to Ireland with Gunther, as his 
vassal, and to present his petition 
to Brunhilda. 

Then they arrayed themselves 
in costly garments and set sail, and 
after a twelve-day voyage, they 
reached the coast of Ireland. 
When Siegfried beheld the green 
palaces of marble, he felt a vague 
uneasiness, for it all had a 
strangely familiar look. Where 
had he seen this place before? 
He remembered it dimly, as in a 
dream. 


When he entered Brunhilda’s 

























Siegfried Returns to Ireland 77 


palace, she advanced to meet him, 
with both hands outstretched, 
crying: 

“Siegfried, is it indeed you, and 
have you come to tilt with me?” 

He looked at her with the eyes 
of a stranger, and replied: 

“I come to represent Gunther, 
King of Burgundy. He wishes to 
sue for your heart and hand. He 
is my lord; I am his vassal, and 
have come to do his bidding.” 


Brunhilda was sorely grieved 
and perplexed; she could not in 
the least understand Siegfried’s 

























behavior. Surely it was he who 
had aroused her from her magic 
sleep, and surely it was he who 
had placed the beautiful ring upon 
her hand, vowing that he would 
return and claim her for his bride. 
But as he continued to look at her 
as though he had never seen her 
before, she felt that she must give 
him a reply. 

And as she had no reasonable 
excuse for refusing his request, she 
said that Gunther might enter the 
lists with her. She felt sure that 
he, too, would be overthrown. 


























Siegfried Returns to Ireland 79 

Siegfried thanked her gravely for 
her kindness, and made haste to 
carry her reply back to Gunther. 

He then disclosed his plan to aid 
Gunther in the undertaking. Gun¬ 
ther was to appear clad in armor 
and mounted upon Siegfried’s 
horse, the one which had belonged 
to Mimi; then he, Siegfried, 
would put on his tarnhelm and be¬ 
come invisible; Gunther was to 
ride boldly into the field, and go 
through all the necessary motions, 
while Siegfried, unseen by the 
others, would do all the actual 






















8o Stories of the Nibelungen 


fighting. Gunther said he con¬ 
sidered the plan a capital one, and 
declared that Siegfried was as 
clever as he was brave. 























VIII 

HOW GUNTHER WON HIS 
BRIDE 

The day of the tournament 
dawned bright and fair. The field 
was crowded with lovely women 
and brave knights. Twelve men 
now appeared, bearing an im¬ 
mense round stone, which was so 
large that it took all their united 
strength to handle it. They set it 
down in that part of the field 
where the contest was to take 
place. 


At length all was ready. From 






















82 Sicries of the Nibelungen 


the castle issued forth the warrior- 
king and the warrior-maiden. 
They were clad in glistening 
armor, and mounted on prancing 
chargers. The signal was given, 
and then began a test of strength 
such as had never before been 
witnessed. 

Brunhilda seized her javelin, 
and hurled it with such force that 
when Siegfried caught it upon 
Gunther’s shield the shield was 
shattered into pieces. Then Sieg¬ 
fried, still invisible, grasped Gun¬ 
ther’s javelin, and hurled it with 























BRUNHILDA WAS THROWN TO THE GROUND 

















84 Stories of the Nibelungen 


such force at Brunhilda that she 
was thrown to the ground. She 
was overcome with surprise and 
anger; never before had such a 
thing befallen her. 

Quickly recovering herself, she 
sprang to her feet, and grasping 
the huge stone which twelve men 
had found hard to carry, she 
whirled it deftly thrice around her 
head, and then threw it far into 
the distance. Then, while the 
people sat spell-bound, she leaped 
after it, and sprang lightly over 
the stone. 




























How Gunther Won His Bride 85 


“Now,” thought she to herself, 
“surely no one can do more than 
that.” 

But she had reckoned without 
Siegfried. Hastily seizing the 
stone, he hurled it much farther 
than Brunhilda had thrown it, and 
not to be outdone by her, he 
grasped Gunther firmly under the 
arms, and sprang with him over 
the stone, landing much farther 
beyond it than she had. 


Then a mighty shout from thou¬ 
sands of throats rent the air, and 
while the people were crowding 



jp 



















86 Stories of the Nibelungen 


around, hailing Gunther as victor, 
Siegfried tore off his tarnhelm, 
and took his place among the 
crowd. 

And now what could Brunhilda 
do ? She had publicly proclaimed 
that she would marry any man 
whose strength was greater than 
her own, so sure had she felt of 
her power. She would not break 
her word, and so with a sorrowful 
heart she made ready to travel 
back to Worms with Gunther. 


At Worms Kriemhild joyfully 
accepted Siegfried’s hand, and 


























How Gunther Won His Bride 8j 


there was a grand double wed¬ 
ding, at which all Burgundy was 
present. The festivities lasted 
fourteen days. 

One evening, while Gunther and 
his bride were sitting together, 
Gunther noticed tears on Brun- 
hilda’s lashes, and asked what was 
troubling her. She replied that 
she was grieving that his sister 
had married his vassal. This was 
not the truth. She was feeling 
sad and lonely because the man 
she loved so well had taken 
Kriemhild for his bride. 
























88 Stories of the Nibelungen 


Gunther told her not to worry, 
as he could explain all that to her, 
and promised to do so at some 
future time. He said that Sieg¬ 
fried was greater than she knew. 

After the wedding, Siegfried 
and Kriemhild journeyed to San- 
tum, to visit Siegmund and Siege- 
linda, whom he had left in his 
youth. They were overjoyed to 
see him, and listened with breath¬ 
less interest to all he had to 
tell. They knew all about the 
dragon, and the Rhine gold, and 
the magic cap which he had won, 

























How Gunther Won His Bride 8g 


for the fame of his wondrous 
deeds had traveled far and wide. 
And now, strange to tell, Siegfried 
had recovered the memory of 
almost all his past; only Brunhilda 
and the magic ring remained for¬ 
gotten. 

After the young couple had 
been at Santum for some time, 
Siegmund withdrew from his 
throne, and made Siegfried and 
Kriemhild the rulers of the king¬ 
dom. The people of Niederland 
hailed the hero with delight, 
although they grieved to give up 






















go Stories of the Nibelungen 


their old king and queen, who had 
won the hearts of all their sub¬ 
jects by their wisdom and kind¬ 
ness. 






















IX 


KRIEMHILD AND BRUNHILDA’S 
QUARREL 

Years passed by, and Brunhilda 
had come to love her husband 
very dearly. They had one child, 
a little boy whom they had named 
Siegfried. Kriemhild, meanwhile, 
had been living very happily with 
her husband in Niederland. They 
had had two great sorrows, the 
death of the old king and that of 
the queen, and all the people of 
Niederland still mourned the loss 
of these two. 


91 





















Then there arrived one day in 
Niederland a messenger from the 
King and Queen of Burgundy, in¬ 
viting Siegfried and Kriemhild to 
attend a great feast which was to 
be held in Worms. They accepted 
with pleasure. Kriemhild was 
anxious to see her mother and 
brothers again, for she loved them 
dearly. So they started for Bur¬ 
gundy. 

For some days after they ar¬ 
rived in Worms everything went 
happily. But then the tourna¬ 
ments began, and Siegfried won 





























Kriemhild and Brunhilda’s Quarrel g3 


every honor as he had done in days 
gone by, for he had lost none of 
his wonderful strength. Both the 
queens were present at the con¬ 
tests, and as he overthrew one 
knight after another, Kriemhild 
looked at him lovingly, and said 
that he was the best and greatest 
king the world had ever seen, and 
that no king could stand against 
him; all paid him tribute. 

Brunhilda replied: “All except 
Gunther; next to him Siegfried is 
the most powerful king on earth; 
but strong as your husband is, he 




























g4 Stories of the Nibelungen 


could never hold his own against 
Gunther.” 

Kriemhild controlled her tem¬ 
per, and made no reply, but that 
evening when they attended ves¬ 
pers, Kriemhild attempted to enter 
the cathedral first. Brunhilda 
interfered, saying: 

“The wife of a vassal should 
never precede the wife of his lord!” 

“And who says that King Sieg¬ 
fried is Gunther’s vassal ?” de¬ 
manded Kriemhild. 


“I have his own word for it,” 
Brunhilda replied. “When they 
























Kriemhild and Brunhilda *s Quarrel g5 

first appeared in Ireland, Siegfried 
approached me, saying: ‘I come 
to represent the King of Bur¬ 
gundy; I am his vassal, he is my 
lord/ ” 

Then Kriemhild lost all pa¬ 
tience, for well she knew by what 
trick Gunther had won his bride. 
She cried: 

“And do you think that Gunther 
overthrew you in the tilt? Gun¬ 
ther only pretended to fight. It 
was Siegfried, made invisible by 
his tarnhelm, who did the real 
fighting; it was Siegfried who 

























g6 Stories of the Nibelungen 


hurled the javelin which unhorsed 
you; it was Siegfried who threw 
the heavy stone, and he it was, 
invisible to you, but holding Gun¬ 
ther in his arms, who sprang over 
the stone, and vanquished you,” 
she declared. 

Looking at Kriemhild’s heaving 
breast and blazing eye, Brunhilda 
knew she spoke the truth. And 
at the same time, there flashed 
across her mind something that 
Gunther had once said to her 
about Siegfried being greater than 
she knew. 







































































g8 Stories of the Nibelungen 


And now she fell into a royal 
rage, and her indignation knew no 
bounds. There was but one way 
of atonement; Siegfried must die 
for the deceit practiced on her. 
So she went to Hagen, Gunther’s 
uncle, who had promised always 
to defend her rights, and de¬ 
manded Siegfried’s life. 

When Hagen first spoke to 
Gunther of the matter, Gunther 
would not hear of the plan to do 
away with Siegfried, and vowed 
that no harm should befall the 
man with whom he had sworn 
























Kriemhild and Brunhilda’s Quarrel gg 


blood brothership ere they set out 
for Ireland. But Brunhilda was 
firm in her resolve; nothing less 
than his death would satisfy her 
honor, nor wipe out the stain of 
his deceit. 

And finally Gunther gave an 
unwilling consent. However, they 
could not fall upon Siegfried, 
and kill him in cold blood, so 
Hagen made a clever plan: they 
would receive a false summons 
to war. Accordingly, a few days 
later, a messenger rode post¬ 
haste into Worms, bearing the 























Ioo Stories of the Nibelungen 


false tidings that the enemy was 
approaching. 

Then everything was in great 
confusion, and Gunther assembled 
his hosts, and set out to meet the 
enemy. Siegfried accompanied 
him, to render what assistance he 
could, for he loved his kinsman as 
a brother. Just before the army 
started on the march, Kriemhild 
went to Hagen, and begged him 
to watch over her husband, and 
see to it that no one attacked him 
from behind, for she explained 
























Kriemhild and Brunhilda’s Quarrel IOI 


wounded anywhere except in the 
spot on his back where the linden- 
leaf had fallen. 

Hagen readily promised. He 
craftily suggested that Kriemhild 
should sew some mark above the 
spot, so that he might know ex¬ 
actly when danger threatened. 
Kriemhild fell in at once with his 
plan; with loving care she stitched 
a white silk cross upon her hus¬ 
band’s clothes. Then Gunther 
and his troops rode away. 

After they had ridden some 
distance, they were met by an- 

























102 Stories of the Nibelungen 


other messenger, with the false 
tidings that the enemy had begun 
a retreat. 

Gunther appeared to be over¬ 
joyed at the news, and suggested 
that a mighty hunt should be 
held, to celebrate the occasion. 
The troops were dispatched back 
to Worms, and the royal party set 
out for the chase, which they 
greatly enjoyed. 

When the dinner-horn sounded 
for the hunters to assemble to 
their meal, Siegfried appeared, 
dragging a live bear behind him. 























KriemhildandBrunhilda’s Quarrel Io3 


He was received with shouts of 
applause. They at once pro¬ 
ceeded to kill and roast the bear. 
Every one was in the best of 
spirits, and as hungry as could be; 
but when they sat down to eat, it 
was discovered that the wine was 
missing; Hagen had purposely left 
it behind. 

Siegfried, especially, was very 
thirsty, and playfully chided Ha¬ 
gen for forgetting so important an 
article. Thereupon Hagen said 
that he knew of a spring, not 
far away, where Siegfried might 






















quench his thirst, and dared him 
to run a race there. Siegfried 
accepted the challenge, and easily 
won the race, as Hagen knew he 
would. 

He had laid aside his weapons, 
and was already kneeling to drink, 
when Hagen came up behind 
him. “Ha, ha,” laughed Sieg¬ 
fried, “I have won the race, and 
am therefore entitled to the first 
drink.” 


"You are,” answered Hagen 
quietly, picking up Siegfried’s 
sword, and poising it above the 











































106 Stories of the Nibelungen 

spot where Kriemhild had sewn 
the white cross; and without say¬ 
ing another word, he drove it 
home with such force that the 
point of it pierced Siegfried’s 
breast. 

In agony, the hero sprang to his 
feet, and seizing his shield, hurled 
it with all his might at Hagen, 
throwing him to the ground. 
Then he, too, fell, and the blood 
from his wounds stained the grass 
a deep crimson; and thus died 
Siegfried, the great and mighty 
hero, calling upon Kriemhild with 

























KriemhildandBrunhilda’s Quarrel I O’] 


his last breath to avenge his foul 
murder. 

Then they placed his body on 
his shield and carried it back to 
Worms, and laid it at Kriemhild's 
door. Next morning, as she was 
going to mass, her waiting-maid, 
who preceded her on the way out, 
suddenly gave a scream, and cried: 

“Go back, go back, and do not 
come this way, for here lies the 
body of a dead warrior/' 

But Kriemhild’s heart misgave 
her, and she would not go back, 
and when she saw the body she 



















108 Stories of the Nibelungen 


uttered a great cry, for she knew 
instantly that it was Siegfried. 

She bade the servants carry it 
inside, and lay it on his bed, and 
her grief knew no bounds. Then 
she sent for Gunther, and wildly 
accused him of the deed, and he 
as wildly denied his guilt. Then 
she said: 

“If you are indeed innocent, 
you need not fear to stand in the 
presence of the dead.” 


Gunther was not afraid, and 
went with her into the death 
chamber. While they were stand- 



























ing there, looking at Siegfried, 
Hagen suddenly entered the room, 
and lo! all the dead man’s wounds 
began to bleed afresh. 

She knew by this sign that Ha¬ 
gen was guilty of her husband’s 
death, and she swore undying 
vengeance. She supposed that he 
had killed him to gain possession 
of his vast riches, and she de¬ 
termined to spoil his plan. But 
Hagen was as crafty as he was 
clever, and so he induced Brun- 
hilda to give him the gold ring as 
a reward for his services to her. 






















no Stories of the Nibelungen 


She knew nothing of its great 
value, and she hated it now be¬ 
cause it reminded her of the false 
Siegfried. So she willingly gave 
it to Hagen, whom she considered 
her greatest benefactor. 

No sooner had he the ring in his 
possession than he journeyed to 
Niederland, and there by its magic 
power he gained possession of the 
Rhine gold. It took him fourteen 
days and nights to remove the 
treasure from the cave on the 
heath. He then sunk it in the 
Rhine, where he intended to leave 
























KriemhildandBrunhilda’s Quarrel III 


it hidden until after Kriemhild’s 
death; but no sooner had he 
flung it into the river than the 
Rhine nymphs seized it for their 
own, determined to guard it so 
well this time that never again 
should their father, the God of 
the Rhine, have occasion to bewail 
its loss, and their unfaithfulness. 

When Kriemhild reached Nie- 
derland, and found that the gold 
had been stolen from Fafner’s 
cave, she was even more deter¬ 
mined than before that she would 
be revenged upon Hagen. 

























X 

KRIEMHILD’S REVENGE 

Years passed by, and Kriemhild 
still mourned the loss of her noble 
husband. Often and often she 
recalled the dream that she had 
had in the days before Siegfried 
appeared in Worms. How truly 
her mother had interpreted its 
meaning! 

And now she had but one wish 
on earth, and that was to avenge 
his death. She was not so beauti¬ 
ful as she had once been; constant 
























tears had washed the brightness 
from her eyes, and her cheeks 
were pale. 

One day there appeared in the 
castle a noble-looking stranger, 
who asked to speak with the 
queen. He was admitted to her 
presence, and she asked him his 
name, and also to what she owed 
the honor of his presence at her 
court. 

He replied: “I am Rudiger of 
Bechlarn, of the court of Etzel- 
burg. I have come hither at the 
request of my master, Etzel the 

























114 Stories of the Nibelungen 


King of the Huns, to ask your 
hand for him in marriage/'. 

At first Kriemhild refused to 
listen to him. What had she to 
do with love and marriage? All 
the love of her heart lay buried 
in Siegfried’s grave; all the joy of 
her life had vanished when he 
died. All that she wished for was 
revenge, and after that to share 
her dear one’s tomb. 

But Rudiger would not take no 
for an answer. Then, when he 
found that revenge was what she 
longed for, he saw his opportunity. 

























Kriemhild*s Revenge 7/5 


He told her that if she would but 
become King Etzel’s wife, he, him¬ 
self, would promise to avenge her 
every wrong, not only those which 
might arise in time to come, but 
even those which she had suffered 
in the past. 

Here at last was the chance she 
had so patiently awaited, and she 
eagerly seized it. She consented 
to become Etzel’s bride, and 
Rudiger willingly swore undying 
fealty to her and her cause. And 
so she returned with him to Etzel- 
burg, where the marriage was 


























116 Stories of the Nibelungen 


celebrated with royal pomp and 
ceremony. 

King Etzel loved Kriemhild 
dearly, and was very kind to her. 
She was truly grateful to him, but 
she could not forget Siegfried, not 
even when a dear little son came 
to her. The child was named Ort- 
lieb. And so time sped by, until 
the little boy’s fifth birthday. 

Kriemhild had now been in 
Etzelburg thirteen years, and in 
all this time she had neither seen 
nor heard from her home and 
kindred. One day she went to 

























Kriemhild’s Revenge 11 7 

her husband, and told him that 
she was becoming ashamed of 
being a stranger in a foreign land 
without any kinspeople of her 
own. She said she thought it was 
high time that some of her family 
should come to visit her, and 
begged him to make a feast, and 
invite them all to be present. 

Her slightest wish was Etzel's 
law, and so he willingly granted 
her request. He at once dis¬ 
patched a messenger with the in¬ 
vitation. Just before the messen¬ 
ger set out, Kriemhild went to him 























and told him to be sure that every 
one of her relatives accepted the 
invitation. In this way, she hoped 
to get her uncle Hagen within 
reach, without rousing any one’s 
suspicions. 

Now, when it had become known 
in Worms that Etzel had asked 
Kriemhild to marry him, Hagen 
had been filled with alarm. He 
told Gunther that it might mean 
great disaster for them, should 
Kriemhild marry Etzel, as he was 
one of the most powerful kings of 
the time. 

























Kriemhild’s Revenge 11 g 


But now thirteen years had 
passed, and they had neither seen 
nor heard from the Hunnish king 
and queen, and Gunther no longer 
feared trouble from that source. 
Then came Kriemhild’s invitation, 
and for seven days it was dis¬ 
cussed by the royal family at 
Worms. 

Should they accept it? Gunther 
and his two brothers, Giselherr 
and Gernot, were anxious to do 
so, for they thought it meant that 
their sister wished to be at peace 
with her family. Gunther, par- 































120 Stories of the Nibelungen 


ticularly, was eager to be friendly, 
as he loved Kriemhild dearly. 

Hagen alone had misgivings, 
and well might he dread meeting 
her, for he knew how sorely she 
had suffered at his hands. He 
sullenly refused to go, until Gernot 
at length cried out: 

“I know what ails Hagen! He 
is thinking of Siegfried’s death, 
and fears to go to Etzelburg.” 

Hagen did not wish to be 
thought afraid, so he consented to 
go, and they all prepared to ac¬ 
company the messenger to Etzel’s 




























Kriemhild’s Revenge 121 


court on the following day—all 
except Uota, who was getting too 
old and feeble to leave home. 

That night Uota had a dreadful 
dream; she thought that all the 
birds lay dead in the forests, and 
when she awoke, she hated to see 
her sons go, for she knew that her 
dream meant danger to them. 

However, they set out, accom¬ 
panied by one thousand brave 
men. On their way to Etzel’s 
country, they came to a river that 
they had to cross; but they found 
they could not cross it on horse- 


























122 Stories of the Nibelungen 


back, as it was swollen too high. 
So they had to wait until a boat 
should appear. 

While they were waiting, they 
chanced to see two swan-maidens, 
who had come to the stream to 
bathe; the maidens had laid aside 
their feathers, and were playing 
about in the water like mermaids. 
Now Hagen knew they possessed 
the gift of foretelling the future, 
and he laid a clever plan. 


When they came out of the 
water, they found their clothes 
gone, and they were very much 

























Kriemhild’s Revenge 123 


troubled, for without their feather 
garments they could not fly away. 
Then Hagen approached them, 
and said he would give their 
feathers back if they would tell 
him what was to happen to the 
Burgundians in Etzel’s land. 
Then one of the maidens, who 
cared nothing for him or his 
friends, and thought only of re¬ 
gaining her clothes, without which 
she could never reach her home in 
the sky, replied: 


“Everything is fair and clear 
for the men of Burgundy. Sail 




























124 Stories of the Nibelungen 


on, sail on. You have naught to 
fear.” 

Hagen was delighted, and re¬ 
turned their garments with a light 
heart. The maidens quickly put 
their feathers on, and spread their 
wings in flight; but as they rose 
into the blue sky the second one 
cried to Hagen: 

“Turn back, turn back; death 
and bloodshed await you in Etzel- 
burg! Only one, of all your num¬ 
ber, will ever live to see your na¬ 
tive land again.” 


Then they disappeared in the 






























Kriemhild’s Revenge 125 


azure depths above, and Hagen 
was left with a heavy heart. 

At length the Burgundians 
secured a vessel, and embarked. 
They were met on the other side 
of the river by Dietrich von Bern, 
one of the lords of the Hunnish 
court, who greeted Hagen with 
these words of friendly warning: 

"Kriemhild still mourns for 
Siegfried’s loss.” 

But poor Hagen had no way of 
turning back; he had to accom¬ 
pany the others, whether he would 
or no. And sure enough, when he 



























126 Stories of the Nibelungen 

came into Kriemhild’s presence 
she drew herself up haughtily, and 
asked: 

“And pray, who invited you 
here, Sir Hagen ? Who bid you 
to this feast ?” 

Hagen replied that he was a re¬ 
tainer of Gunther’s, and that wher¬ 
ever Gunther went, he, too, must 
go; but her attitude and greet¬ 
ing. showed him plainly that she 
had not forgiven him for his 
treachery. 

Kriemhild greeted her brothers 
very cordially, and seemed re- 




























































































128 Stories of the Nibelungen 


joiced to see them, and for a few 
days all went well. Then came 
the banquet, in the midst of which 
in rushed Dankwart, Hagen’s 
brother, with blood flowing from a 
dozen wounds, and told them that 
the Huns had fallen upon Gun¬ 
ther’s men and slain them all. 

And immediately everything was 
in the wildest confusion. Pro¬ 
tected by Rudiger, Kriemhild and 
Etzel escaped from the banquet 
hall. Then ensued a fierce battle 
in which all of the Huns, with the 
exception of Dietrich, and all the 






















Kriemhild’s Revenge I2g 


Burgundians, except Gunther and 
Hagen, were slain. Finally Diet- 
rich vanquished these two, and 
bound them hand and foot. Then 
he sought Kriemhild, and made 
her give her word of honor that 
he, and he alone, should be per¬ 
mitted to put them to death. 
After that he turned the prisoners 
over into her keeping. She 
ordered them to be confined in 
separate dungeons. 

Then she visited Hagen and 
sought by every means in her 
power to discover what he had 


























l3o Stories of the Nibelungen 


done with the Rhine gold. This 
he refused to tell, saying he had 
taken a solemn oath never to re¬ 
veal its hiding-place so long as 
one of his lords remained alive. 
Then she said that she would 
spare Gunther’s life if Hagen 
would tell her where the gold was 
secreted. 

But Hagen would not tell his 
secret, even to save the life of his 
liege lord and kinsman. And so 
she ordered that both of them 
should be beheaded, according to 
the custom of these olden times. 


























Kriemhild's Revenge l3l 


And thus at last was Siegfried’s 
death avenged by the once gentle 
and beautiful queen. 

And of all the men of Burgundy 
who had crossed the water to at¬ 
tend King Etzel’s feast, but one 
remained to carry the sad news 
back to their native land; and that 
was the old chaplain of Gunther’s 
court. Everything had come to 
pass just as the swan-maiden had 
predicted. And back in Bur¬ 
gundy, Uota sorrowfully lived out 
her days with none in all that 
broad land to brew for her lips the 























132 Stories of the Nibelungen 


cup of forgetfulness, such as she 
had given Siegfried. And so we 
must leave her alone with her sad 
memories. 











































SEP 21 1903 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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